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To Heaven and Back: A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story

9.96

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To Heaven and Back: A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story

4.5

Highest ranking 101

8 comments

$9.96

Save 45%

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C KReviewed in the United States on May 14, 2025

I've read a few books about those who have been to heaven. I find them fascinating. I've never experienced what Dr Neal has, but because of events of my childhood, I have always felt protected and watched over. The story of Dr Neal's death is horrifying, but at the same time comforting in her visit to heaven. Her life before and after is compelling and an easy read.

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FloridianReviewed in the United States on October 18, 2012

Mary, thank you for writing this wonderful book about your NDE and how it changed your life. It took a lot of courage from you, especially since you appear to be,and you describe yourself as a very private person. The fact that you are a very specialized orthopedic surgeon, adds to the credibility of the story. You seem to have a great reputation in that field and in your community, so I am sure you would not make up stories to get attention, and risk that. You don't need to. Your life is already nearly perfect. I've been reluctant to purchase "Heaven is for Real", since it is the story of a child's encounter with heaven, and it would be hard for me to assess how much of it was real, how much of it was in the child's imagination, and how much of it might have come from his father and other adults influencing the child. I purchased your book because I am a terrible skeptic, but your credentials gave me confidence. I had to read all the one star reviews to find out why some people could be so disappointed with this book. I seem to understand a little better now: The actual trip to heaven must have taken less than a few minutes, given the fact that you're still here, and did not suffer any brain damage. Thank God for that! Therefore, there wasn't a whole lot of detail to be said. But what you did say is very reassuring. There is definitely life after death, and it will be a joyous wonderful life! We won't want to come back, once we are there. As for the conversations with the angel (or Jesus, if it was Jesus, which could very well be. Didn't you ask his name? I think I would have). You said you spoke at length with him, on two occasions. Most of us were hanging on your every word, to see if you could share the answers you were given, but they were very vague. Given that tremendous opportunity, if any of us could talk to Jesus or an angel, what would we ask? I can make a pretty long list myself. For example, times have changed a lot since the bible was written. How does God feel TODAY about issues that fill us with doubt, fear and anxiety, such as divorce, abortion, birth control, war, homosexuality, lust, greed, selfishness, justice, etc. Here is a topic that weighs heavily on my mind: Pain and disease. Why do some people heal and some don't. Why are the lucky ones lucky? Not that I'm calling you lucky. You studied hard, you worked hard. You deserve your success. Yes compared to most of us, you are an over-achiever and some people may resent that. On the other hand, losing a child is probably the hardest thing for most people to endure. No one envies you for that. Your experience may have helped you understand it a little better, but I'm sure it was painful just the same. I believe you were blessed in many ways, and the fact that you always trusted God probably had a lot to do with it. There are many times that my trust gets replaced with doubt and anger, and I just have to remember to ask God to help me believe more, trust more. Your book taught me three very important lessons that I hope to remember for the rest of my life. The three verses of the bible that you read in your hospital room. God bless you Mary, and many, many thanks! I'm glad that you were able to share with us all that you did. If you think of any answers to my above questions, please don't hesitate to comment.

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Albert NockReviewed in the United States on September 4, 2014

This is a 5-star story, but told perhaps (at least for me) in a 3-star way by a wonderful person who wants to make a real contribution to us all. My questioning is not of the story, but the pre-judgments and conclusions that go along with it. First, Mary starts with an evangelical Christian belief system, and seems to interpret her story as strengthening that system. But she does not really show us how she arrives at that conclusion. Second, she connects a lot of dots, mainly events she describes and interprets as too much of a coincidence to not be part of God's "plan", to show that our lives are really being micromanaged from above, kind of along the lines of the Hindu philosophy. But the evidence she cites does not really support that in its entirety, except for the details of her son's death. And she is very sure that God made us all and loves us all, in spite of how life treats so many of us. So in the end, I felt she did a lot of "preaching" about her conclusions, rather than "showing" us the path she took and letting us do some of the thinking. Does God dwell within every one of the 7 billion people on this planet, or just some? I don't see evidence from any NDE story that supports either a yes or a no to that question. And the "soul" that exists at once within and then without our physical bodies appears to be an essence of non-physical consciousness. When it resides within a body, it overlaps that body's own intellect, creating a human. When it is outside that body, it is no longer limited in any way, and can relate to its source. So as Mary points out, when Willie was 3 or 4 years old, he had not yet made the complete transition, so he remembered where he came from. And I'll bet it was not a Presbyterian Church. He was, like his mother, a piece of God, or the Light, or the Source. And if you look at the many NDE stories, it is a non-denominational source of being. So, yes, I really liked this book, but it got me thinking about the difference between focusing on proving preconceived conclusions and simply telling the story of the events and their effect on the writer back on earth. So in that sense, it succeeded in being very worthwhile reading.

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Cliente de AmazonReviewed in Mexico on July 30, 2018

Excelente libro, dió consuelo y paz a mi alma, lo recomiendo a todos los que les interesen temas de ECM o duelos

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S. Ramsey-HardyReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2012

Mary Neal is a surgeon who had an accident when kyaking in Chile, and this book includes an account of what happened to her during the accident, when she was dying: a 'near-death experience'. The book is also a form of autobiography, because this central experience is set within Mary Neal's story of her life, so you feel that you get to know something about Neal as an individual before and after a life-changing event. The most striking aspect of this account is Mary Neal's integrity. She leaves the reader in no doubt that she is telling her story as frankly, objectively, and clearly as she possibly can. She is very matter-of-fact, and there is a complete absence of flim-flam in this narrative. You are given the strong feeling that Neal's apparent encounter with another existence which we enter at the end of this life, was an absolutely concrete experience. What she describes is nothing like a fantasy or hallucination taking place within herself: this was something apparently outside herself, and it was perceived by her to be even more real than any ordinary reality. It changed her life. Her description is not only powerful for its integrity, but for its sense of well-grounded, objective intelligence. It is becoming more and more clear that experiences like this one which happened to Mary Neal, have to be considered more seriously by science and philosophy. Such experiences have been known about for centuries, and many more are constantly coming to light. Some people have been reluctant to speak of what happened to them because they have not been able to express, in ordinary words, the extraordinary power of the event. It is time for scientists of courage to face the reality of facts which are -it appears- completely reliable. These are facts not yet fully understood. They have not been explained -and are too often scornfully rejected by materialists. (This audiobook isn't read by Mary Neal herself, but is spoken by a sympathetic American voice that's easy to listen to.)

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Hellen AReviewed in Canada on February 28, 2023

This book gives a detailed look the authors visit to heaven. It’s detailed and believable. It helped me understand the miracles I experienced in my own life. I highly recommend it.

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Dr. Jac JoeReviewed in India on December 31, 2016

Excellent...worth every penny

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Martin BanisterReviewed in Australia on December 1, 2024

Good book, lady is a highly qualified and well respected surgeon